polymer clay jewelry

This is my my 4th attempt of Andrew Thorton monthly challenges and mystery challenges. Really loving this. This was my first design I made for this challenge.

I made these heart leaves about 2 years ago. I didn’t know what to do with them or how incorporate into a piece of jewelry. It was the technique I had learned at the time.

So while I was searching for some others beads to use for this challenge of salmon, pink, and light greens, I found my leaves in the exact colors of the Mystery challenge.

Back side of how I connect the heart leaves to the necklace. I am always curious how others connect the polymer clay pieces so I thought I would show you how I did this one.

My next design was my love of the vintage looks. And the light pink salmon colors went perfect with my vintage filigree from B’Sue Boutique’s. I used seval different styles and types of beads with this necklace design. It really gave it more interest and detail.

I think this style is one of my favorites to do.

I just love how the focal with all the dangles turned out. So classy and vintage looking.

My Next Challenge with Allegory Challenges was the Nomad kit. Reds and Blacks which are a real challenge for me. I don’t usually create with black I need contrast to see.and very grateful for the red. I love red but there are so many shades of red I have stayed away fro it. This was a great kit again stretching my creativity. Below is the kit and my pics from this kit. Please enjoy and thank you for any comments. Cindy Peterson

Nomad Kit

This time I did use some of the cord and seed beads in my design. I did add some matte black stamping s to the design for added interest. The focal is the center of this fabulous charm necklace.

Hello Everyone, I am doing some new challenges this year to stretch my artistic and creative side; with new months challenges, new inspirations, meeting new artists and designers. I love learning new techniques and new inspirations. My friend Gloria Allen from Gloria Allen Designs has invited me to join her with Andrew Thornton‎ and Allegory Gallery Design Challenges I love the set of beads he sends and yes there are more seed beads and tiny tiny beads, which if you know anything about me that is a challenge in itself. Read more About me.

So as usually I don’t just go for one thing, I go with both feet in and take on more. I have a great passion for art and the art of making jewelry So I didn’t Just enter one of the Tribes Challenges I entered 2 of them. Petals is my first show case and Nomad is my second show case I will share.

This is what I received for the Petal Challenge

We could use as much of the kit as we wanted. So I first sorted everything and fell in love with several of the beads. I love pink so that part was easy. Was not sure what to do with the wax linen cord as I have never used it. Then there were those seed beads. Again I don’t usually have these as a go to bead in my stash. But was going to learn how to use them. At this point I was very glad I had attended B’Sue Boutiques Workshop in May as I learned how to wire bead the Miriam Haskell style with seed beads.

Art Bead Scene May Jewelry Challenge

My fellow jewelry artist Gloria Allen of Gloria Allen Designs wanted me to join this group and enter into the monthly challenges. She knows I make polymer clay beads and incorporate them into my jewelry for a mixed media design.

This is a FUN adventure and it has stretched my creativity to go beyond flowers and to look at art as inspiration.

The inspiration was a picture of a house, with colors in blue, white, grey, black, and a maroon.

I took my inspiration in the direction of color and lines. My necklace is made with rectangular polymer beads. I used a dragging technique to make the wavy lines in the clay. Then I added black square beads to depict a house image and blue round gemstones to soften the look and take on the color of the sky. For additional softness to the sharp lines I added black and white donut gemstones to the earrings and necklace. which also has the same colors and wavy lines as the polymer beads.

Inventory System Established

I started with my friend 5 yrs ago, Marie Roozen to make money for Christmas. Jewelry by two friends was born. We found out that Intel had Holiday craft shows on 4 campuses. No fees for the table. Duane (my Hubby) just had to be the escort. So bought $600.00 worth of Gemstones and started creating necklaces and jewelry sets. We did this for 3 yrs and then Marie went to college to become a hairdresser. I had to come up with a different name.

The Howling Dog Jewelry was born due to my little partner Mesha a long hair Chihuahua who liked to sing to mattress commercials. He is now 14yrs old and will sing on command. Marie was still there to help me sell at Intel. I am very grateful as a blind artist I needed someone with good eyes to help deal with more than one customer at a time. Marie totally understands my eye issues. Howling Dog Jewelrywas still a hobby. Inventory what’s that? I kinda knew what I had and I knew that I made money on each piece. Intel show averaged $600.00 year.

Still with a mindset of this being only a hobby I started selling at a 12 week summer market called Tuesday Night Market Place. Show cost was $485 for the 12 weeks. My avg. for the past 3 years was about $1100 a yr.. Still NO Inventoryper se , I knew I needed something but didn’t know how to start one from hobby mindset to a business one. Inventory what is it?

Fast forward to today, I have finally figured out an inventory system. Now I will be able to track sales, in turn will help me be better at purchasing products for my jewelry lines and styles. This is a sample of what I came up with:

All jewelry has been inventoried , priced, and labeled with inventory codes. Then we will inventory what is on display and a quick inventory at the end of each day. Well, that is an ambitious plan but I think it might help with what sold compared to receipts and check to see if there was any loss do to theft. Or we can just do a final inventory at the end of the show. If you have any thoughts on this please share.

What can I say my friend suggested I try this big Christmas bazar known for being the largest in America. So this is my big show for the year 2015. I have done summer markets in our town but they are small. I do well and have a following.

This summer I really ramped up my jewelry making and thinking about some lines. I took a build A Line Master Class last winter with B’Sue Boutiques and learned a lot about building a jewelry line. My first line was Love Beetle Rocks ( read more about this line in previous posts). As I have used ceramic roses in that line and I do play around with polymer clay decided to practice more with my rose making ability. With practice you do improve. I also have my friend Marie Roozen helping me and even her roses have improved with practice.

Marie came up with a formula to make our clay flowers look like sating roses. They are just so petty. Here is a sample one in a necklace that just sold on my Etsy shop. https://www.etsy.com/shop/howlingdogjewelry

Marie and I are making them in all colors now. Because this big show is in Portland and the city is known for its roses, I came up with a new line I am calling the “Rose Jewelry Line” The line consists of Necklaces, sets, bracelets, earrings, and rings. All have one of our handmade roses on them. I have also used in my designs, fine silver, matte black, brass, antique brass, and satin matte gold finishes.

I have put a lot of thought into what would make up this line and ended up with collections within the line. Here are some samples of this Rose Line

Added my Roses to Butterflies and bezel bracelets.

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So this was the beginning of a new jewelry line which also goes well the the Love Beetle Rocks Line. I think I have finally found my artistic voice with my jewelry. I love the mixed media look so interesting to look at and always unique. Thanks for vising my blog. Would love to hear your thoughts. I will be posting more on my “Getting ready for a big show”

What’s New!!!! Exciting new looks are happening at the Howling Dog Worktable this week.

Making of a Rose Jewelry line that will also tie into my Love Beetle Rocks jewelry line,

I learned at a very young age from my Aunt to make roses with clay. She made ceramic roses in the same colors I like to use. Her Roses were made into earrings, and brooches. They were the white, pink with the green leaves I have used in my own jewelry designs. The sales of her roses paid for her trips to the West coast to see my Grandmother. My grandmother always had us doing some kind of craft to keep us busy for the summer. So when my Aunt came one summer she sat my twin sister and I down and taught us how to make her ceramic roses. It was a lot of fun and I still have those days with fond memories.

50 yrs later I find myself looking back at those memories and applying what I had learned. I now make roses from Polymer clay. A very versatile clay which I love working with today. I can create all kinds of colors to make my roses. As I live in Portland Oregon known for their Roses and referred to as THE CITY OF ROSES, I decided to make a new line of simple pendants, earrings, bracelets, brooches, and rings using my roses. I am using old stampings and tooling of brass from the US and Germany, as I Love the vintage looks and mixed media . The quality of these pieces are just wonderful. \7

Here are some of my Roses and works in progress. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of this new line of Rose jewelry from Howling Dog Jewelry. Below is my Etsy shop where you can find more jewelry designs by Howling Dog Jewelry.

I am workings on Focals and pendants/ I have a new line of flowers all handmade with rings and vintage lockets. I love making assemblage or collage jewelry. My new earrings are hats with a silver pocket watch and howling dogs in earth tones.

The girls are my daughters friends for the past 10 yrs. They love coming over to my house and visit. For the past 5 yrs they have watched my jewelry line evolve into what it is today. These girls are a great group of kids who are taking pride in what they are doing. I have always had a soft opening heart when it comes to kids. I think they feel they have another home and feel apart of my family. I started out just doing Intel holiday shows where my husband worked. Then about 3 yr ago I started with B’Sue and Cindy Lietz making jewelry. Some of the girls have made jewelry with me. I would have to say they are my biggest fans.

Even when they are not selling they are always asking how we did as they take part ownership because they are the setup crew. I have been using these teens for this outdoor market going on 4yrs. And this year I literally do not have to setup or take down. So this is why I am adding a new element, The girls get to design the layout, pick out the jewelry they like and now two of them are selling. Layla who designed the booth this week was so pumped that her displays were helping sales. Elizabeth and Ashley were pumped that they worked together making sales.

The girls are learning so much and are having fun. It comes them a sense of purpose and something to look forward to in the summer. My crew even gives me feed back on how the booth looks. But they are really excited about having more input with the displays.

This Weeks Tuesday Market NEWS!!! It was Dogs on Parade and a lot of dog owners out with their furry kids. I had been canning and freezing produce so much that my hamstring was really hurting along with the knee that needs replacing. Whole leg hurt. So was not sure how I would handle the Market this week.

Well my lovely teens came to my rescue. They not only setup the booth, I assigned one of them to handle the display and what jewelry to display this week. Layla did the display and picked what jewelry she would use. So she had a glam theme. Elizabeth and Ashley volunteered to man the booth and make sales. Within a half hour they sold $77.00. When Marie Roozen came to help the girls did not want to stop selling. By the end of the night they had made a list of customers request, made an observation that customers liked the smaller looking necklaces,made a couple of jump ring repairs, and sold over $185.00 by the end of the market. They were pumped and always pleased when I do well. Layla was happy with herr display and choices. Next week Elizabeth Roozen will make the display and merchandise. She has already decided to display my copper and pink jewelry. The black and white display necks are really catching peoples eyes as they are highlighting the necklaces.

The girls are lining up now to display and sell as I do pay them a little more so it is like a job. I have always given them money got their dinner as they stay for setup at 3:30 and take down at 8:30 every Tuesday. Teens are great helpers as they want to learn and feel that they are needed. Plus they earn a little. I am so proud of my crew. Well I have made enough sales so far to pay for my summer booth now.